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Looking at the suddenly radiant old King, Prince William did not show any surprise.

It was as if it was supposed to be this way.

The Half-Elf King, brushing off his previous weakened state, spoke in a powerful voice, asking Prince William:

“What do you think about your younger brother’s upcoming marriage to the Northern Duke’s adopted daughter?”

“I will abide by your arrangements,” Prince William lowered his head, as if he dared not look into his father’s eyes.

The fact that Topaz, the second son, was marrying the Northern Duke’s adopted daughter, apparently made Prince William, the eldest son, uncomfortable.

Yet, Prince William dared not voice his discontent.

“I’m asking about what you think!” The Half-Elf King seemed unwilling to let his eldest son off the hook easily.

“I… I have no opinion…”

“Wham!”

The scepter in the old king’s hand swung down swiftly, slamming heavily onto Prince William’s knee.

Prince William let out a scream, kneeling before the King, and pleaded,

“Father, I truly dare not have any complaints!”

“Fool!” The old King roared furiously, “Do you really believe that I arranged for

Topaz to travel to North Territory to court Vera?”

“Speak!”

“I don’t know…”

“Wham! Wham! Wham!”

The king’s scepter kept swinging, raining down on Prince William’s back like raindrops.

Poor William did not dare to resist, he could only suffer in silence, occasionally letting out screams, seemingly trying to elicit sympathy from his father.

After a while, the old King finally stopped, exhausted.

He saw him panting as he sat back on the bed, scolding with a deep disappointment: “You don’t know? You, the Crown Prince of the kingdom, the future chief of the Half-Elf Clan, are telling me you don’t know could it be that when the enemies are in front of us, and the Half-Elf Clan is on the brink of extinction, when the court officials ask you what to do, you will just say— You have no idea? You don’t know?

Not a shred of responsibility!

Not a hint of strategy!

If it weren’t for the fact you are my only legitimate blood, I would have given up on you a long time ago!”

Before the old king’s scolding, Prince William cowered on the ground, not daring to move.

But what he didn’t realize was that such a weak attitude would only fuel his father’s anger.

The old king gazed at his son, let out a long sigh, and was silent for a long time.

Prince William, crawling on the ground, waited for a long time without hearing anything from his father, then carefully raised his head.

There, he saw his father’s cold and deep gaze.

It was a look he had never seen before.

For some reason, Prince William suddenly felt an inexplicable panic.

It was as if something important in his life was slipping away.

But before he could ask, the old King spoke again:

“William, tell me, what is the survival strategy of the Modewen family?”

“Hold onto your chips tightly!” Prince William quickly answered, as if a struggling student finally found a question on the test paper that he knew how to answer.

“Then tell me, what does this survival strategy mean?”

Prince William quickly tried to muster all his thoughts, and after a while, cautiously answered, “It implies… we should hold onto our chips tightly, and not place our bets easily.”

“Why shouldn’t you place your bets easily?” The old king continued to interrogate without showing any emotion.

Prince William was taken aback, why are there follow-up questions?

The phrase “I don’t know” reached his throat, but he immediately swallowed it back down.

He believed if he dared to say that, he would absolutely be beaten up again.

“I… I think… that is… that is… betting… should be cautious…” Poor Prince William struggled for a long time but could not articulate his thoughts.

The light in the eyes of the old king became even more dim.

Helplessly, he had to explain patiently, “When two giants are fighting, if you, a weak dwarf, dare to join recklessly, you’d be dashed to pieces!

So, your best choice is to stay on the sideline and observe.”

No matter how the giants threaten or coax, you must not readily commit before the situation is clear.

You don’t have many chips in your hands, but they are extremely crucial.

As long as you do not hastily place them, they will become increasingly important!

As long as you don’t take sides, both parties will need to ally with you.

You can thus take advantage of this situation, giving you a greater strategic maneuvering space.

Do you understand?”

“I understand.” Prince William hurriedly nodded, unsure whether he genuinely understood, or only wanted to avoid his father’s admonishment.

The old king’s expression seemed somewhat disappointed.

This saying of the Modewen family, it subtly encapsulates countless tears and suffering of the Half-Elf clan!

It also undertakes countless secretive dirty transactions.

What a pity…

The old king sighed, and asked, “So, being wedged between North Territory and the East, do you know what to do now?”

“I understand. As long as they haven’t decided on a victor, we will absolutely not take sides, and neither will we place any bets!”

“Hm.” A smile finally formed on the old king’s face, seemingly thinking that his son was not as hopeless as he had seemed.

“Then, you think again, the issue of Topaz seeking to marry Vera, could it truly be my plan?”

Prince William became astute this time, fervently shaking his head: “No, father, you are so wise, why would you bet on North Territory at such a crucial moment.”

Seeing the old king slowly nod, Prince William’s confidence increased: “Therefore, it was my younger brother’s own initiative?”

A trace of anger flashed across the old king’s face: “Humph! And of course, there is that despicable woman pushing from behind!”

Prince William didn’t dare to respond this time.

Because he knew that the “despicable woman” the old king was referring to was the Queen herself.

Although outwardly, the Half-Elf king and queen seemed to share a harmonious relationship, William knew very well that his father was never content with her from the day she married into the royal family.

The dispute over adopting Prince Topaz nearly left the couple enemies.

The old king, who greatly values bloodline inheritance, has never considered Prince Topaz his own son, even though by law, he was indeed the son of the king now.

If not for considering the Queen’s background from the Miller family, the King would have already disposed of her.

Now, the queen seems to be looking to ally with the Northern Duke through Topaz’s wedding to Vera.

This kind of behavior that dismisses the overall situation has clearly infuriated the old king who wants to remain neutral, playing a balancing act between the East and North Territories.

“The Easterner should send an envoy here in a few days, you will receive them when the time comes.”

“Yes.”

“Remember, no matter how the Easterner tries to ally or threaten you, you must not personally involve yourself, just providing them with some necessitated convenience and let them fight with the Northerners will be enough.”

“I understand.”

After uttering so much, the old King seemed tired and gestured for Prince William to leave.

Prince William promptly bowed and took his leave, but before he could step out of the bedchamber, the King stopped him: “What about the Windbell Commerce Association that I had you look into last time?”

“I’ve looked into it, there’s nothing wrong with the Windbell Commerce Association, they’re dutifully paying their commercial taxes…”

“Fool!” The old King got angry again. “Did I ask you to investigate whether they’re evading taxes?”

Prince William was taken aback.

The old King took a few moments to calm his anger. With a sigh of disappointment, he waved his hand: “You continue investigating.”

“Yes.” Prince William carefully responded.

“How has Little Charlie been doing recently?”

Hearing the King ask about his own son, an involuntary smile formed on Prince William’s face: “The little chap is doing great, he’s recently started learning swordsmanship, although he’s too naughty, causing havoc among the flowers and plants in the palace…”

“Bring him to me tomorrow to accompany me for some time.”

Prince William had no doubts and nodded repeatedly: “Yes, Father.”

At this moment, light footsteps came from outside the palatial chambers. Prince William turned to see his father swiftly lying down on his bed.

One second to fall asleep.

“William, has his majesty gone to bed?” The Queen walked in and whispered. “Yes, he went to bed as soon as he returned.”

“Alright, you should also return.”

“Yes..